Trouble

An electronic device can be programmed to ring in faster than any human, so it doesn't matter if all three contestants know the answer: whoever rings in first gets the points. It seemed like whenever Watson was sure of an answer it always beat the humans to the punch. -- Keith Otis, Chicago

NEWARK N.J. (Reuters) - An Air India flight with 313 passengers onboard was forced to return to Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday after an engine on the Boeing 777 appeared to overheat and catch fire, according to airport officials. The officials previously said a bird strike may have caused the fire but later ruled that out after conducting an investigation, said Erica Dumas, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. A...

Regarding Ann Burke's "Can the Bishops Ever Be Trusted?" As long as the Catholic Church remains a hierarchy that refuses admittance to women, it will continue to have problems. I appreciate Justice Burke's comments on bishops protecting accused pedophile priests, but why did she fail to even mention the prohibition of women in the church leadership as a concomitant issue for loss of attendance and support of the church today, especially in the U.S.? -- Chris Tyler, Chicago

For the second time this season, Sky center Sylvia Fowles gave the Phoenix Mercury frontcourt more than it could handle. This was the type of performance that you would expect from the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. A 23-point, 11 rebound domination against former No. 1 overall draft pick center Brittney Griner. Yet for the second time this season that domination wasn't enough in a 72-66 loss to the Mercury. The Sky (8-12) came didn't get out to a quick start so much as...

A north suburban priest who was due to report to a Milwaukee courtroom this afternoon on a felony theft charge was a no-show because of car trouble, his lawyer said. The Rev. James Dokos, who was suspended from his duties at a Greek Orthodox church in Glenview after Milwaukee County authorities announced plans to charge him with felony theft, must return to court on Monday, said the court commissioner who oversaw the hearing. Dokos, who had served Saints Peter and Paul...

The Sports Xchange HBO having trouble finding "Hard Knocks" takers Despite having a difficult time finding a team to profile for its popular summer reality series "Hard Knocks," HBO is expected to pick an NFL club on June 1, the New York Post reported. The program closely follows an NFL team during training camp and preseason in a documentary format. The program started in 2001 but did not film last year due to the lockout. Several teams, including the Atlanta...

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria boss Luboslav Penev left his job as coach of financially-troubled Botev Plovdiv on Monday, a month into a one-year contract. Last month Bulgaria's central bank put Botev's main sponsor, Corporate Commercial Bank, the Balkan country's fourth largest lender, under special supervision. The move was followed by the departure of some of the club's leading foreign players and Bulgaria international Veselin Minev. "I want to thank the management of...

The news for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manningstill is not good. Mike Lombardi of the NFL Network told ESPN's Bill Simmons in Thursday's podcast, the “B.S. Report,” that Manning is still struggling in his recovery from neck surgery. “He can't throw the ball,” Lombardi said. “I've talked to people who've caught the ball for him. He can't throw the ball to his left. He can't throw the ball across his body, because he doesn't feel it. People that...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Monday it was troubled by Saudi Arabia's sentencing prominent human rights lawyer Walid abu al-Khair to 15 years in prison on charges that included seeking to undermine the state and insulting the judiciary. "We urge the Saudi government to respect international human rights norms, a point we make to them regularly," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. The Saudi rights activist was sentenced to...

The Sports Xchange EditorsNote: updates with details Sabathia has more trouble with knee New York Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia experienced swelling in his right knee after his latest rehab work and will be shut down for a while. The big left-hander had an MRI before Thursday night's Yankees-Minnesota Twins game in Minneapolis that confirmed the swelling. Sabathia will visit Dr. James Andrews for another exam to decide a course of action. Sabathia gave up five runs (three earned)

- A federal grand jury has issued a subpoena for emails of key players in Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn's troubled $54.5 million anti-violence program, including the former head of the program and two former ranking members of Quinn's administration. The subpoena, provided by the Quinn administration in response to a Tribune records request, is the latest public sign of federal prosecutors' interest in a program also under scrutiny by Cook County authorities and a state...

Dealing with international politics is much like raising children. Parents have to do their job every day. One can't stop watching a child for months or years and expect positive results. Our government agencies habitually go through care/don't care cycles with countries around the world. Current crises with Iraq, North Korea, Germany, France, Afghanistan, Al Qaeda and countless smaller ones that don't make it to the front pages are in large part due to a lack of comprehensive, consistent and responsible...

By Monique Garcia and Hal Dardick and Tribune reporters | July 3, 2014

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled today that subsidized health care premiums for retired state employees are protected under the Illinois Constitution, signaling potential trouble for an overhaul of pension benefits that's also being challenged in court. Today's ruling also could affect the city of Chicago's ongoing phase-out of retiree health insurance subsidies, a program Mayor Rahm Emanuel was counting on to save millions of dollars a year, as well as legislation recently...

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar police fired rubber bullets on Wednesday to disperse crowds of Buddhists and Muslims facing off in the streets of Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, police said. Myanmar has been racked by violence between the two communities since June 2012. More than 200 people have been killed and at least 140,000 displaced. Most of the victims have been from the minority Muslim population. Police deployed more than 600 officers...

He was the fastest man over the 1,500 meters in the water and only five seconds behind the eventual winner, who happens to be the world's top-ranked triathlete, after the 40-kilometer bike leg. Then the 10-kilometer footrace began in Sunday's World Triathlon Series event in Chicago, and Ben Kanute of Geneva quickly ran into trouble. "My running has been pretty good in practice, and I thought I would have a good one," Kanute said. "Today I wasn't on it, and when you aren't on it...